A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 05 eBook

One circumstance, to be gathered from the peregrinations
of Soto seems worthy of remark; that the scattered
tribes then occupying the southern portion of North
America which he visited, were more agricultural than
when the country came afterwards to be colonized by
the English, and not addicted to the horrible practices
of the North American savages of torturing their prisoners
taken in war. Perhaps they were afterwards extirpated
by a more savage race from the northwest, who have
no hereditary chiefs, as were found by Soto.
From these differences, and their worship of the sun
and moon, the tribes met with by Soto were probably
branches of the Natches, a nation which will be described
in the sequel of this work, and which does not now
exist.

SECTION I.

Discovery of Florida, by Juan Ponce de Leon.

After the settlement of Hispaniola in peace by Obando,
Juan Ponce de Leon was appointed lieutenant of the
town and territory of Salveleon in that island.
Learning from the Indians of that district that there
was much gold in the island of Borriquen, now called
San Juan de Puerto Rico, or Porto Rico, he procured
authority from Obando to go over to that island, which
he reduced[122]. He was afterwards appointed by
the king of Spain to the government of that island,
independent of the admiral Don James Columbus.
In a war between De Leon and the natives, wonderful
havoc was made among these poor people by a dog belonging
to the governor, called Bezerillo, insomuch that the
Indians were more afraid of ten Spaniards with this
dog than of a hundred without him, on which account
the dog was allowed a share and a half of all the plunder,
as if he had been a cross-bow-man, both in gold, slaves,
and other things, all of which was received by his
master[123].

[Footnote 122: Herrera, I. 327.]

[Footnote 123: Herrera, I. 339.]

Having acquired much wealth, and being deprived of
the government of Porto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon determined
upon making discoveries to the northwards, that he
might gain honour and advance his estate[124].
For this purpose, he fitted out three ships well manned
and stored with plenty of provisions, with which he
sailed from the port of St German on Thursday the
3d of March 1512, steering for Aguada.
Next night he stood to the N.W. and by N. and on the
8th of the same month came to anchor at the shoals
of Babecua, near the Isola del Viejo,
in lat. 22 deg.-1/2 N. Next day he anchored at one
of the Bahama or Lucayos islands called Caycos,
and then at another called Yaguna, in lat. 24
deg. N. On the 11th he came to the island of
Amaguayo, and then passed Manegua, in
lat 24 deg.-1/2 N. He came to Guanahani, in
lat. 25-1/2 N. on the 14th, where he refitted the
ships before crossing the bay to windward of the Lucayos.
This island of Guanahani was the first land discovered